The reality of Oral Roberts University is that it was built upon the cult of personality that was/is Oral Roberts. When he handed the school -- and his ministry -- off to his son, Richard, the decline of the school began.

Now that the improper actions of Richard Roberts and his wife have been exposed and they have been forced from leadership, the school remains damaged by their misdeeds.

During the past school year, TV evangelist Richard Roberts, son of school founder Oral Roberts, resigned as president after being accused of misspending university funds to live in style. Also, it was disclosed that the school was more than $50 million in debt.

Among other things, Roberts and his wife were accused of spending school money on shopping sprees, home improvements and a stable of horses for their daughters. They are also alleged to have sent a daughter and her friends on a Bahamas vacation aboard a university jet.

Projected enrollment for the fall semester could be 150 students fewer than the 3,166 who attended last fall, interim President Ralph Fagin said in an interview last week. Two university employees who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation said they have been told a much higher figure: around 400.

That would amount to a startling drop of almost 13 percent.

Can the school restore its reputation? Can it reestablish its credibility? My expectation is that it probably can do both -- but that the break between school and ministry is going to be a source of trauma for several years. Only once there is evidence that the problems of the past are truly in the past will the school be able to achieve some sort of distinction in the public eye. My guess is that it will have to shed the Oral Roberts name and the close association with the ministry for it to do so.

Posted by: Greg at 02:18 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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